System providing sponsored content

ABSTRACT

A system receives an indication of selection of an item in a broadcast segment from an end device. A broadcast segment is identified by the selection and a broadcast segment schedule. An item ID is determined using the identified broadcast segment and the broadcast segment schedule, and a corresponding sponsor of the item is determined using the item ID and the identified broadcast segment. An anonymized message, including the item ID and a request for information, is sent to the corresponding sponsor. A reply is received from the corresponding sponsor, and forwarded to an end user contact.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of, and claims priorityto, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/608,729, now U.S. Pat. No.8,863,167, titled “System Providing Sponsored Content,” filed on Oct.29, 2009. The disclosure of the foregoing application is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Consumers receive a diverse array of advertising across a variety ofmedia. However, it is often not convenient for consumers to accessinformation on products when an advertising opportunity piques theirinterests. Similarly, advertisers or companies providing the advertisedproducts like to provide as much product information as possible in afast and easy manner if a consumer expresses interest in the products.

Currently, consumers are known to access information on a desired itemviewed over broadcast media, such as TV programs, media broadcasted overthe Internet, etc., by noting the item for later research. For example,a TV program may indicate that the consumer can go to a particularwebsite to get more information on products used. The consumer is forcedto write down or otherwise remember an item of interest or a UniformResource Locator (URL), and then access the information via theInternet. There are often occasions where the consumer declines tofollow through on initial interest because of the steps required inaccessing information on the item of interest, or the consumer does nothave time or interest to perform all steps necessary to get informationon the item of interest. In these situations, there may be missedopportunities on the part of both sellers of the products trying tomaximize sales as well as consumers potentially looking to purchaseproducts.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein is a method for providing sponsored content using asystem, according to an embodiment. In the method, the system receivesan indication of selection of an item in one of a plurality of broadcastsegments from an end device. A broadcast segment is identified using abroadcast segment schedule and the indication of selection. Thebroadcast segment schedule contains a plurality of broadcast segments.Each broadcast segment has a broadcast channel and a time of broadcast,an item identification (ID) corresponding to an item in each broadcastsegment, and a sponsor ID having a corresponding sponsor for each itemID. An item ID is identified using the identified broadcast segmentschedule and the indication of selection. A corresponding sponsor isidentified by using the indication of selection and the broadcastsegment schedule. In addition, an anonymized message is generated. Theanonymized message includes a request for information based on theindication of selection and the item ID. The anonymized message alsoconceals the identity of the end user of the end device to thecorresponding sponsor and maintains validity for reply to the end userfor a limited time. Further, the anonymized message is sent to thecorresponding sponsor. A reply is received from the correspondingsponsor and the reply is forwarded to an end user contact.

Also disclosed herein is a system configured to provide sponsoredcontent to an end device, according to an embodiment. The systemincludes a data storage device. A broadcast segment schedule is storedin the data storage device. The broadcast segment schedule contains aplurality of broadcast segments, each broadcast segment having abroadcast channel and a time of broadcast, an ID corresponding to anitem in each broadcast segment, and a sponsor ID identifying acorresponding sponsor for each item ID. The system also includes aninput/output module configured to receive an indication of selection ofan item in one of the plurality of broadcast segments from the enddevice. Additionally, the system includes a segment sponsor moduleconfigured to identify the broadcast segment using the indication ofselection of the item and the broadcast segment schedule. The segmentsponsor module is also configured to identify an item ID of the itemusing the identified broadcast segment and the broadcast segmentschedule. Further, the segment sponsor module is configured to identifya corresponding sponsor of the item using the item ID and the identifiedbroadcast segment. The system also has a messaging module configured togenerate an anonymized message. The anonymized message includes the itemID, conceals the identity of the end user of the end device to thecorresponding sponsor, and maintains validity for a reply to the enduser for a limited time. The input/output module is also configured tosend the anonymized message to the corresponding sponsor, to receive areply from the corresponding sponsor and to forward the reply from thecorresponding sponsor to an end user contact.

Still further disclosed is a computer readable storage medium on whichis embedded one or more computer programs implementing theabove-disclosed method of providing sponsored content using the system,according to an embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system configured toprovide sponsored content to an end device from at least one sponsor.For example, embodiments of the present invention provide for selectingan item from an end device, sending a request to the system, having thesystem anonymize the message and send the message to a correspondingsponsor, and receiving a forwarded reply from the corresponding sponsor.

The embodiments enable an end user to quickly and easily obtaininformation from a sponsor by selecting a broadcast segment in abroadcasted program. For instance, the embodiments may enable an enduser to receive a recipe and/or coupons from a cooking show by pressinga button on a remote control at an appropriate point in the show (asopposed to writing down and visiting a uniform resource locator (URL) ata later time). In addition, the access is anonymous and protected,relieving privacy concerns the end user may have.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilledin the art from the following description with reference to the figures,in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a system configured toprovide sponsored content using a system, according to an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a broadcast segmentschedule, according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 3A illustrates a screen of an end device, according to anembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 3B illustrates a screen of an end device, according to anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows flow diagram of a method of using a system to providesponsored content to an end device, according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 5 shows flow diagram of a method of using a system to receive areply from a sponsor, according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of a computer system configured toimplement or execute one or more of the processes depicted in FIG. 3,according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the present invention isdescribed by referring mainly to exemplary embodiments thereof. In thefollowing description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, itwill be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the presentinvention may be practiced without limitation to these specific details.In other instances, well known methods and structures have not beendescribed in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presentinvention.

Definitions

The term “end device,” as used herein, refers to a device that may beused to receive and interact with a broadcast program. Accordingly, theend device may comprise a television set, having a set top box and aremote with which the end user may select an item. Alternately, the enddevice may comprise a cell phone.

The term “broadcast program,” as used herein, refers to a program thatis broadcast from a broadcast source. The broadcast source may includeterrestrial broadcast, cable, satellite or Internet protocol television(IPTV).

The term “broadcast segment,” as used herein, refers to a segment of abroadcast program that is defined by a time period and a broadcastchannel. For instance, the broadcast segment may be a 30 second segmentof a broadcast program or an advertisement. Additionally, the broadcastsegment may be defined by screen location.

The term “indication of selection of an item,” as used herein, refers toa signal that an item has been selected by an end user for furtherinformation. The indication of selection includes an indication of thebroadcast channel, an identification of the end device and/or user and atimestamp of the selection. The indication of selection may also includea screen location. Further, the indication of selection may also includea location of the end device. For example, the location of the enddevice may be an end device network, which is a network or sub-networkthat the end device is connected. The identification of the end devicenetwork is optional and may be used if a server serves multiple enddevice networks.

The term “item identification (ID),” as used herein, refers to acharacter or characters with which an item is identified. The item IDmay be, for instance, an alphanumeric character.

The term “broadcast segment schedule,” as used herein, refers toschedule of all broadcast segments that may be used with the indicationof selection by the system to determine an item and a correspondingsponsor for the item.

The term “sponsor,” as used herein, refers to an entity that providescontent to an end user based upon an item identified by the indicationof selection.

The term “corresponding sponsor,” as used herein, refers to a sponsorcorresponding to a particular item.

The term “sponsored content,” as used herein, refers to an item that maybe selected and has a corresponding sponsor. For instance, the sponsoredcontent may be a commercial article such as a saleable household item.The sponsored content may also be an informational item such as publicservice information regarding recycling.

The term “request for information,” as used herein, refers to a requestfor information regarding an item identified in the indication ofselection sent from an end user to a corresponding sponsor of the item.

The term “end user contact,” as used herein, refers to an address atwhich an end user may be contacted. For instance, the end user contactmay be an email address.

The term “anonymize,” as used herein, refers to removing all informationidentifying the end user from a message, such that a recipient of themessage is unable to determine the end user.

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a system including aserver 102 configured to communicate to a plurality of end devices 118a-n, and to communicate to a plurality of sponsors 120 a-n, according toan embodiment of the invention. It should be understood that the system100 depicted in FIG. 1 may include additional components and that someof the components described herein may be removed and/or modifiedwithout departing from a scope of the system 100.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the server 102 includes a messaging module 104, asegment sponsor module 106 and an input/output module 108. Theinput/output module 108 may include a hardware interface (not shown)through which the server 102 is connected to a network 116. The server102 is connected to a data store 110 through the network 116. Themodules 104-108 may comprise software modules, hardware modules, or acombination of software and hardware modules. Thus, in one embodiment,one or more of the modules 104-108 comprise circuit components. Inanother embodiment, one or more of the modules 104-108 comprise softwarecode stored on a computer readable storage medium, which is executableby a processor.

A broadcast segment schedule 112 is stored in the data store 110. Thebroadcast segment schedule 112 provides information on broadcastprograms scheduled to be broadcast from a broadcast source 122 to aplurality of end devices 118 a-n that are connected to the network 116.Additionally, the broadcast segment schedule 112 contains informationwith respect to sponsored content in the broadcast program as describedin detail herein below with respect to FIG. 2.

The network 116 may comprise a hybrid fiber coaxial cable network.Alternately, the network 116 may comprise an access network connected toan internet protocol (IP) address. The network 116 allows the server 102to communicate with the end devices 118 a-n and the sponsors 120 a-n.The network connecting the server 102 with the end devices 118 a-n maybe an independent network from the network connecting the server 102with the sponsors 120 a-n (not shown). If independent networks are used,the server 102 supports independent interfaces to each network.

Each of a plurality of end user accounts 114 a-n stored in the datastore may correlate to at least one of the plurality of end devices 118a-n and may contain information submitted by the end user to an operatorof the system 100, for instance a cable multisystem operator (MSO),including an end user contact. For instance, the end user contact maycomprise an email address or telephone number by which the end user maybe directly contacted. The end user account 114 a-n may also containbilling information for the end user. The information contained in theend user account 114 a-n may be information the end user desires torestrict access by entities such as the plurality of sponsors 120 a-n.

Each of the plurality of end devices 118 a-n is a device configured toview and interact with multimedia content by tuning to one of aplurality of broadcast channels 124 a-n received from the broadcastsource 122. Additionally each of the end devices 118 a-n is configuredto interact with the server 102. The end devices 118 a-n may interactwith the server 102 using unicast channels. Alternately, the end devices118 a-n may use any of an Internet Protocol (IP) backchannel, anintegrated cable modem, and an Ethernet cable. Accordingly, each of theplurality of end devices 118 a-n may comprise a television set, having aset top box and a remote with which the end user may select items asdescribed hereinbelow with respect to the methods 400-500 depicted inFIGS. 4-5. Alternately, the end device 118 a-n may comprise a singledevice such as a handheld device connected to an MSO, for instance acell phone. Note that each of the end devices 118 a-n may comprise anyother device configured to perform the methods 400-500 depicted in FIGS.4-5. Each of the plurality of broadcast channels 124 a-n is listed inthe broadcast segment schedule 112 along with broadcast segmentsscheduled to be broadcast on each of the plurality of broadcast channels124 a-n to the plurality of end devices 118 a-n.

As depicted in FIG. 2, the broadcast segment schedule 112 comprises atable containing a time T 202 a-n, a segment ID 204 a-n, an item ID 206a-n, and a sponsor ID 208 a-n. The time T 202 a-n corresponds to thetime at which each program is broadcast from the broadcast source 122(shown in FIG. 1). The segment ID 204 a-n corresponds to broadcastsegments scheduled to be broadcast at the corresponding time T 202 a-n.The segment ID 204 is produced using an algorithm from a channel ID (notshown) correlating to each broadcast channel and, optionally, the screenlocation. The algorithm may also include the time indication in thebroadcast segment or the time indication may be its own key defined astime T 202 a-n in Table 200 as shown. The item ID 206 a-n corresponds toan item contained within the broadcast segment. A same item may appearin multiple different broadcast segments, for instance in the Table 200item IID 1 appears in broadcast segment SEG 1 and broadcast segment SEG3. The sponsor ID 208 a-n corresponds to a sponsor of the item 206 a-n.A same sponsor may correspond to multiple different items. By using anindication of selection to identify an item (sponsored content) in abroadcast program about which the end user desires to receiveinformation from one of the sponsors 120 a-n, the system 100 enables theend user to receive information in real time from the sponsors 120 a-nas described in detail with respect to FIGS. 3A-B.

As depicted in FIG. 3A, each of the plurality of end devices 118 a-n mayhave a screen 302 on which the broadcast segments 304 a-n may bedisplayed. The broadcast segments 304 a-n viewed by the end user may besponsored by at least one of a plurality of sponsors 120 a-n, alsoconnected to the network 114. The broadcast segments 304 a-n may bedivided into segments defined by a broadcast channel and a time ofbroadcast from the broadcast source 122. For example, the broadcastsegment 304 a-n may comprise 30 seconds of a particular program on aparticular channel, beginning at a particular time of broadcast from thebroadcast source 122 for each of the broadcast segments 304 a-n. Thebroadcast segment 304 a-n may be sponsored by at least one of aplurality of sponsors 120 a-n and corresponds to one of the segment IDs204 a-n.

Alternately, the broadcast segments 304 a-n may be divided into segmentsdefined by the time and the channel of broadcast from the broadcastsource 122 and a location of the item in the screen 302 at the time ofselection as shown in FIG. 3A. The screen 302 may be divided into zones,with each zone representing a separate broadcast segment 304 a-n. Eachof the broadcast segments 304 a-n corresponds to a separate segment ID204 a-n. The number of broadcast segments 304 a-n at a particular timeof broadcast from the broadcast source 122 may comprise multiples of apredetermined number, where the predetermined number denotes zones ofthe screen 302. The broadcast segment schedule 112 in this instance isconfigured to support a screen 302 having items selectable by providingboth the time and location of sponsored content in the indication ofselection of the item.

Each of the end devices 118 a-n is configured so that an end user mayrequest information on an item in one of the broadcast segments 304 a-n.The end user may request the information based on a visual cue on thescreen 302 or based on a sound track of the broadcast segment 304 a-n(for instance, a recording stating “respond now to receive furtherinformation on this product”). The broadcast segment 304 a-n maycomprise a television show, an advertisement, or a sub-screen providedby the cable operator. The end user may indicate the item by clicking ona particular button on the end device 118 a-n, generating an indicationof selection of the item. The indication of selection of the itemincludes an indication of a broadcast channel and a time stamp.Additionally, the indication of the selection of the item may includethe screen location of the item. The end device then transfers theindication of selection of the item to the input/output module 108 ofthe server 102. The input/output module 108 comprises an interface withthe end devices 118 a-n through the network 116.

The input/output module 108 thereafter receives the indication ofselection. The input/output module 108 is configured to transfer theindication of selection to the segment sponsor module 106. The segmentsponsor module 106 is configured to retrieve the broadcast schedule 112from the data store 110 upon receiving the indication of selection ofthe item. The broadcast schedule 112 contains program segments 304 a-nof each program broadcast by the broadcast source 122 to the pluralityof end devices 118 a-n. The segment sponsor module 106 uses theindication of the selection of the item in order to identify aparticular segment ID 204 a-n in the broadcast segment schedule 112corresponding to one of the broadcast segments 304 a-n. Each of thebroadcast segments 304 a-n corresponds to one of the item IDs 206 a-nand a corresponding sponsor ID 208 a-n having a corresponding sponsor.

According to an embodiment, the segment sponsor module 106 is configuredto use the indication of selection of the item to determine acorresponding time T 202 a-n in the broadcast segment schedule 112 forone of the broadcast segments 304 a-n. The indication of selection ofthe item in the broadcast segment 304 a-n in this instance may includethe broadcast channel, and a time stamp denoting the time of selectionof items in the broadcast segment schedule 112. Subsequently, thesegment sponsor module 106 may determine the corresponding sponsor byusing the item ID and the identified broadcast segment. According toanother embodiment, the segment sponsor module 106 is configured to usethe indication of selection to determine multiple sponsors 120 a-n wheremultiple sponsor IDs 208 a-n correspond to a particular of the items 206a-n. For instance, a broadcast segment 304 a-n may correspond tomultiple sponsors IDs 208 a-n where a request for information on a sameitem may be sent to multiple sponsors 120 a-n.

According to another embodiment, where items may be selected in thescreen 302 of the end device 118 a-n by location, the indication ofselection of the item is configured to transfer information regardingthe zone of the screen 302 within which the item is located. Thisinformation is transferred in addition to the time of broadcast from thebroadcast source 122. For example, the end device 118 a-n may transfervectors in order to convey the zone of the screen 302 from which the enduser may have selected an item and a time stamp to convey the time ofbroadcast of the broadcast segment containing the selected item.

In an alternate embodiment of the end device 118 a-n, as depicted inFIG. 3B, the screen 302′ may contain a sub-screen 352 on which menuitems 354 a-n may be displayed and selected. The end user may scrollthrough the menu items 354 a-n in order to select a particular of themenu items 354 a-n. The particular menu item may correlate to a singleprogram segment. Each of the program segments 304 a-n may be sponsoredby at least one of the plurality of sponsors 120 a-n, also connected tothe network 114. The segment IDs 204 a-n in the broadcast segmentschedule 112 are configured to correspond to menu items 354 a-n at aparticular time of broadcast from the broadcast source 122. For menuitems in the sub-screen 352, the indication of selection of the item maybe used to transfer information to the server 102.

The segment sponsor module 106 may thereafter transfer informationidentifying the item ID, a corresponding sponsor and the request forinformation conveyed with the indication of selection of the item to themessaging module 104. The corresponding sponsor is one of the sponsors120 a-n having a sponsor ID corresponding to the item ID. The messagingmodule 104 is configured to prepare and send an anonymized message tothe corresponding sponsor regarding the item.

According to an embodiment, the messaging module 104 is configured toremove identifying information regarding the end user from theindication of selection of the item while preparing a message to thecorresponding sponsor containing the request for information. Themessaging module 104 thereafter assigns an anonymous temporary addressto the message before transferring the message to the input/outputmodule 108. The sponsor 120 a-n may reply to the request for informationat the anonymous temporary address. For instance, the messaging module104 may assign a temporary email address through which correspondencebetween the corresponding sponsor and the end user may be routed. Byplacing a time limit on the validity of the anonymous email address, themessaging module 104 decreases the opportunity for unsolicited email(for instance SPAM). The input/output module 108 may thereafter send themessage to the corresponding sponsor. The request for informationcontains the item ID that helps the corresponding sponsor determine theappropriate context of a request and respond with material/informationcorresponding to the request.

If the corresponding sponsor responds to the anonymous temporaryaddress, the input/output module 108 may forward the response from thecorresponding sponsor to an end user contact specified in the end useraccount 114 a-n. According to an embodiment, when the anonymoustemporary address expires, messages from the corresponding sponsor willno longer be forwarded to the end user contact. Further, the messagingmodule 104 may limit the number of reply messages forwarded from thecorresponding sponsor to the end user contact during the active periodof the anonymous temporary address.

It will be apparent that the system 100 may include additional elementsnot shown and that some of the elements described herein may be removed,substituted and/or modified without departing from the scope of thesystem 100. It should also be apparent that one or more of the elementsdescribed in the embodiment of FIG. 1 may be optional.

An example of a method in which the system 100 may be employed forproviding sponsored content now be described with respect to thefollowing flow diagram of the methods 400-500 depicted in FIGS. 4-5. Itshould be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that themethods 400-500 represent a generalized illustration and that othersteps may be added or existing steps may be removed, modified orrearranged without departing from the scopes of the methods 400-500.Also, the methods 400-500 are described with respect to the system 100by way of example and not limitation, and the methods 400-500 may beused in other systems.

Some or all of the operations set forth in the method 300 may becontained as one or more computer programs stored in any desiredcomputer readable medium and executed by a processor on a computersystem. Exemplary computer readable media that may be used to storesoftware operable to implement the present invention include but are notlimited to conventional computer system RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, harddisks, or other data storage devices.

At step 402, an input/output module 108 of the server 102 receives anindication of selection of an item. According to an embodiment, theinput/output module 108 receives the indication of selection of the itemfrom an end device 118 a-n viewing a broadcast program in which thebroadcast segments 304 a-n are based upon the particular time ofbroadcast from the broadcast source 122. The indication of selection ofthe item may comprise a broadcast channel and a time stamp. The timestamp indicates the time of selection of the item. In an alternateembodiment of the step 402, the input/output module 108 receives theindication of selection of the item where the end device 118 a-n isconfigured to select an item by location in a screen 302 and the time ofselection in the broadcast program. Accordingly, the indication ofselection of the item may include a broadcast channel, a time stamp andinformation regarding a zone of the screen 302 within which the item islocated. For instance, information regarding the zone of the screen 302may be transferred in the indication of selection by a vector or vectorsdenoting the location of the item in the screen 302. In anotherembodiment, the input/output module 108 receives the indication ofselection of the item from an end device 118 a-n viewing a broadcastprogram in a sub-screen 352 with menu items 354 is located. Theindication of selection in this instance is based on a menu item ID ofthe menu item 354 at a particular time of broadcast from the broadcastsource 122.

At step 404, the segment sponsor module 106 identifies the broadcastsegment using the indication of selection of the item and a broadcastsegment schedule 112, retrieved from a data store 110. For instance, thesegment sponsor module 106 may use the broadcast channel and time stampgiven in the indication of selection of the item 206 to determine thesegment ID 204 a-n corresponding to a broadcast channel and time T 202a-n stored in the broadcast segment schedule 112. In an alternateembodiment, in addition to determining the broadcast channel and timeusing the indication of selection, the segment sponsor module 106 uses avector or vectors to determine the location of the indicated item in thescreen 302 of the end device 118 a-n at the time of selection of theitem. A corresponding segment ID 204 a-n may thus denote the locationand time of selection of an item at the end device 118 a-n.

At step 406, the segment sponsor module 106 identifies an item ID usingthe identified broadcast segment and the broadcast segment schedule 112.

At step 408, the segment sponsor module 106 identifies a correspondingsponsor of the item. The corresponding sponsor is one of the sponsors120 a-n in the system 100 connected to the server 102. The segmentsponsor module 106 uses the broadcast segment schedule 112 in order toidentify the corresponding sponsor ID 208 a-n of the indicated item inthe segment 204 a-n. The broadcast segment schedule 112 lists thecorresponding sponsor ID 208 a-n for each segment 204 a-n and each ofthe item IDs 206 a-n. If the item is sponsored by multiple sponsors, thesegment ID 204 a-n may correspond to multiple of the sponsor IDs 208a-n. A particular segment ID 204 a-n may have multiple correspondingsponsor IDs 208 a-n.

At step 410, the messaging module 104 assigns an anonymous temporaryaddress to the indication of selection of the item. The anonymoustemporary address may be stored in the end user account 114. Theanonymous temporary address is configured so that a reply from thecorresponding sponsor returns to the server 102. For instance, theanonymous temporary address may be a temporary email address assigned bythe server 102. The messaging module also prepares a request forinformation based on the indication of selection of the item. Therequest for information excludes identifying information regarding theend user.

At step 412, the input/output module 108 sends the request forinformation based on the indication of selection of the item to thecorresponding sponsor. The request for information includes an item IDthat allows the sponsor to understand the context of the request forinformation. The input/output module 108 may send the request forinformation to multiple sponsors depending on the configuration of thesegment IDs 204 a-n and the corresponding sponsor IDs 208 a-n.

At step 414, the input/output module 108 receives a reply from thecorresponding sponsor and prepares the reply for forwarding as detailedin method 500 with respect to FIG. 5.

At step 416, the input/output module 108 then forwards the reply fromthe corresponding sponsor to the end user contact specified in the enduser account 114 a-n. The end user may initiate further contact with thecorresponding sponsor if the end user so desires.

With reference now to FIG. 5, there is shown a method of receiving areply from the corresponding sponsor and preparing the reply forforwarding to the end user contact. At step 501, the input/output module108 receives a reply from the corresponding sponsor. The input/outputmodule 108 may thereafter transfer the reply to the messaging module104.

At step 502, the messaging module 104 determines a time of reply by thecorresponding sponsor. The messaging module 104 may receive the time ofreply of the corresponding sponsor at the time the reply is transferredfrom the input/output module 108.

At step 503, the messaging module 104 determines the limited time ofvalidity of the anonymous temporary address. The limited time ofvalidity may be stored in the end user account 114 with the anonymoustemporary address. The messaging module 104 may retrieve the limitedtime of validity from the end user account 114.

At step 504, the messaging module 104 determines whether the anonymoustemporary address maintains validity for reply to the end user.According to an embodiment the messaging module 104 determines whetherthe time of reply by the corresponding sponsor is less than or equal tothe limited time of validity. At step 505, if the time of reply by thecorresponding sponsor is less than or equal to the limited time ofvalidity of the anonymous temporary address (for instance, the reply isreceived after a deadline), the messaging module 104 sends the replyfrom the corresponding sponsor to the input/output module 108. However,if the time of reply by the corresponding sponsor is greater than thelimited time of validity of the anonymous temporary address, at step506, the messaging module 104 discards the reply from the correspondingsponsor.

Additionally, at step 504, when determining whether the anonymoustemporary address maintains validity for reply to the end user, themessaging module 104 may determine whether with a present reply by thecorresponding sponsor the total number of replies by the correspondingsponsor remains within an allowed limit. The messaging module 104 maysend the reply to the input/output module 108 if the number of repliesby the corresponding sponsor is within the allowed limit at step 505.Thereafter, the messaging module 104 may prepare the reply forforwarding by transferring the end user contact to the input/outputmodule 108. The input/output module 108 then forwards the reply.Alternately, at step 506, the messaging module 104 may discard the replyif the number of replies by the corresponding sponsor is greater thanthe allowed limit.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of a computing apparatus 600configured to implement or execute one or more of the processes depictedin FIGS. 4-5, according to an embodiment. It should be understood thatthe illustration of the computing apparatus 600 is a generalizedillustration and that the computing apparatus 600 may include additionalcomponents and that some of the components described may be removedand/or modified without departing from a scope of the computingapparatus 600.

The computing apparatus 600 includes a processor 602 that may implementor execute some or all of the steps described in the method depicted inFIGS. 4-5. Commands and data from the processor 602 are communicatedover a communication bus 604. The computing apparatus 600 also includesa main memory 606, such as a random access memory (RAM), where theprogram code for the processor 602, may be executed during runtime, anda secondary memory 608. The secondary memory 608 includes, for example,one or more hard disk drives 610 and/or a removable storage drive 612,representing a floppy diskette drive, a magnetic tape drive, a compactdisk drive, etc., where a copy of the program code for one or more ofthe processes depicted in FIGS. 4-5 may be stored.

The removable storage drive 610 reads from and/or writes to a removablestorage unit 614 in a well-known manner. User input and output devicesmay include a keyboard 616, a mouse 618, and a display 620. A displayadaptor 622 may interface with the communication bus 604 and the display620 and may receive display data from the processor 602 and convert thedisplay data into display commands for the display 620. In addition, theprocessor(s) 602 may communicate over a network, for instance, theInternet, LAN, etc., through a network adaptor 624.

The embodiments enable an end user to quickly and easily obtaininformation from a sponsor by selecting a a broadcast segment in abroadcasted program. For instance, the embodiments may enable an enduser to receive a recipe and/or coupons from a cooking show by pressinga button on a remote control at an appropriate point in the show (asopposed to writing down and visiting a uniform resource locator (URL) ata later time). In addition, the access is anonymous and protected,relieving privacy concerns the end user may have.

Although described specifically throughout the entirety of the instantdisclosure, representative embodiments of the present invention haveutility over a wide range of applications, and the above discussion isnot intended and should not be construed to be limiting, but is offeredas an illustrative discussion of aspects of the invention.

What has been described and illustrated herein are embodiments of theinvention along with some of their variations. The terms, descriptionsand figures used herein are set forth by way of illustration only andare not meant as limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognizethat many variations are possible within the spirit and scope of theinvention, wherein the invention is intended to be defined by thefollowing claims—and their equivalents—in which all terms are mean intheir broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing sponsored content to anend device, the method comprising: receiving, by a computer systemoperating independent of the end device, an indication that aninteraction with an item presented within a broadcast segment occurredduring presentation of the broadcast segment at the end device; inresponse to receiving the indication, identifying, by the computersystem and using a timestamp and a broadcast channel specified by theindication, a sponsor of a broadcast segment that was being presented atthe time of the interaction; generating, by the computer system, ananonymized message that includes an item ID corresponding to the itemthat received the interaction at the end device, a temporary useraddress that conceals an identity of an end user of the end device, andhas a specified validity period, wherein the specified validity periodindicates an amount of time the temporary user address is a validaddress for communicating with the end user about the item that receivedthe interaction; requesting, by the computer system and from thesponsor, additional information about the item; receiving, by thecomputer system, a reply from the sponsor, wherein the reply includesthe additional information about the item; determining, by the computersystem, whether the validity period for the anonymized message is stillvalid when the reply is received from the sponsor; and processing, bythe computer system, the reply from the sponsor based on thedetermination, including: discarding, by the computing system, the replywhen the reply is received after the validity period of the anonymizedmessage has expired; and forwarding, by the computer system, the replyto the end device when the reply is received during the validity periodof the anonymized message.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein generatingan anonymized message comprises generating an anonymized message thatincludes the item ID and an anonymous temporary address of the end user.3. The method of claim 2, wherein the anonymous temporary address of theend user conceals an identify of the end user from the sponsor of thereply.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an indication that aninteraction occurred comprises receiving an indication that includes alocation of the item on a screen of the end device.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein identifying a sponsor of the broadcast segmentcomprises identifying the sponsor based at least in part on the locationof the item on the screen.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining that the reply from the sponsor is valid based on the replybeing received within a specified amount of time, wherein forwarding thereply to the end user comprises forwarding the reply to an anonymousaddress corresponding to the end user.
 7. The method of claim 6, whereindetermining that the reply from the sponsor is valid is further based ona total number of replies received from the sponsor within a given timeperiod.
 8. A system, comprising: a data storage device storing abroadcast segment schedule; and one or more computers that interact withthe data storage device and execute instructions that cause the one ormore computers to perform operations comprising: receiving, by acomputer system operating independent of an end device, an indicationthat an interaction with an item presented within a broadcast segmentoccurred during presentation of the broadcast segment at the end device;in response to receiving the indication, identifying, by the computersystem and using a timestamp and a broadcast channel specified by theindication, a sponsor of a broadcast segment that was being presented atthe time of the interaction; generating, by the computer system, ananonymized message that includes an item ID corresponding to the itemthat received the interaction at the end device, a temporary useraddress that conceals an identity of an end user of the end device, andhas a specified validity period, wherein the specified validity periodindicates an amount of time the temporary user address is a validaddress for communicating with the end user about the item that receivedthe interaction; requesting, by the computer system and from thesponsor, additional information about the item; receiving, by thecomputer system, a reply from the sponsor, wherein the reply includesthe additional information about the item; determining, by the computersystem, whether the validity period for the anonymized message is stillvalid when the reply is received from the sponsor; and processing, bythe computer system, the reply from the sponsor based on thedetermination, including: discarding, by the computing system, the replywhen the reply is received after the validity period of the anonymizedmessage has expired; and forwarding, by the computer system, the replyto the end device when the reply is received during the validity periodof the anonymized message.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein generatingan anonymized message comprises generating an anonymized message thatincludes the item ID and an anonymous temporary address of the end user.10. The system of claim 9, wherein the anonymous temporary address ofthe end user conceals an identify of the end user from the sponsor ofthe reply.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein receiving an indicationthat an interaction occurred comprises receiving an indication thatincludes a location of the item on a screen of the end device.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein identifying a sponsor of the broadcastsegment comprises identifying the sponsor based at least in part on thelocation of the item on the screen.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein:the instructions cause the one or more computers to perform operationsfurther comprising determining that the reply from the sponsor is validbased on the reply being received within a specified amount of time; andforwarding the reply to the end user comprises forwarding the reply toan anonymous address corresponding to the end user.
 14. The system ofclaim 13, wherein determining that the reply from the sponsor is validis further based on a total number of replies received from the sponsorwithin a given time period.
 15. A non-transitory computer readablemedium storing instructions that upon execution by one or more computerscause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:receiving, by a computer system operating independent of an end device,an indication that an interaction with an item presented within abroadcast segment occurred during presentation of the broadcast segmentat the end device; in response to receiving the indication, identifying,by the computer system and using a timestamp and a broadcast channelspecified by the indication, a sponsor of a broadcast segment that wasbeing presented at the time of the interaction; generating, by thecomputer system, an anonymized message that includes an item IDcorresponding to the item that received the interaction at the enddevice, a temporary user address that conceals an identity of an enduser of the end device, and has a specified validity period, wherein thespecified validity period indicates an amount of time the temporary useraddress is a valid address for communicating with the end user about theitem that received the interaction; requesting, by the computer systemand from the sponsor, additional information about the item; receiving,by the computer system, a reply from the sponsor, wherein the replyincludes the additional information about the item; determining, by thecomputer system, whether the validity period for the anonymized messageis still valid when the reply is received from the sponsor; andprocessing, by the computer system, the reply from the sponsor based onthe determination, including: discarding, by the computing system, thereply when the reply is received after the validity period of theanonymized message has expired; and forwarding, by the computer system,the reply to the end device when the reply is received during thevalidity period of the anonymized message.
 16. The computer readablemedium of claim 15, wherein generating an anonymized message comprisesgenerating an anonymized message that includes the item ID and ananonymous temporary address of the end user.
 17. The computer readablemedium of claim 16, wherein the anonymous temporary address of the enduser conceals an identify of the end user from the sponsor of the reply.18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving anindication that an interaction occurred comprises receiving anindication that includes a location of the item on a screen of the enddevice.
 19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, whereinidentifying a sponsor of the broadcast segment comprises identifying thesponsor based at least in part on the location of the item on thescreen.
 20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein: theinstructions cause the one or more computers to perform operationsfurther comprising determining that the reply from the sponsor is validbased on the reply being received within a specified amount of time; andforwarding the reply to the end user comprises forwarding the reply toan anonymous address corresponding to the end user.